SETTING THE PACE / Living life with an eternal perspective
It happens all too often. We put directions into our phone or GPS, and we seek to follow the provided directions to our desired location. As we are heading to our destination, we get busy talking, or distracted, and we miss our turn or exit. In that moment, a message appears on your navigational device that says, “Rerouting.” As we follow the rerouting directions, thankfully, we soon find ourselves back on the right path.
The Bible says there are two paths for our lives. There is God’s path and there is Satan’s path. These paths do not lead to the same place and they conflict with one another greatly. God’s path leads to life and life everlasting and Satan’s path leads to death and destruction.
John 10:10 says, “The thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I (Jesus) come to give life and life more abundantly.”
In this life, it is imperative to get on God’s path and stay on God’s path!
The problem is, we are all sinners and we all get off God’s path at times. We make mistakes, we get distracted, we sin, and pretty soon, we find ourselves on a path that is not leading in the right direction. In that moment, God, in His goodness and grace, gives you rerouting directions that will get you back on His path. The question is, “Will you follow His directions?”
Like a GPS, when you get off God’s path, you can either follow the new directions that will lead you back to the right path, or ignore them, and continue in the wrong direction. Everyone knows that if you want to get to the right location, you must follow the directions. In fact, if you want to get to the right place, why would you ever ignore the directions? It is a simple question, but we complicate the answer and get it wrong all the time.
Why? Because we think we know best. After all, GPS is a computer device, what does it know? Truthfully, GPS is not perfect and sometimes it does make mistakes, but God is perfect and He never makes mistakes. He always knows what is best. However, when it comes to following God, because we are sinners, we often think we know what is best, or that our way is better than His way. This is foolish.
God knows the way, and He knows exactly how to get us where we need to be. We simply must listen and follow Him carefully.
One of the things I love most about God is that nothing takes Him by surprise. He foresees our mistakes, and already plans to reroute us back to Himself when we get off the path. God does not let us continue in the wrong direction. The minute we get off track, He lets us know it and He gives us rerouting instructions. When He does this, what are we to do? I would suggest following these three simple steps.
First, you must admit that you made a mistake. No one is to blame but you for getting off the path. Own up to your mistake and acknowledge before God you have messed up. Second, ask God to forgive you. The biblical word for this is repent. Repent means to turn and go a new direction. When you admit you have sinned, the next logical thing to do is ask God to forgive you and turn from that sin. Finally, after you have admitted you have sinned and confessed that sin to God, submit to His will and begin following Him. When you get off the path, it is not enough to just pull off the road and say, “Oops, I messed up.” No! You pull off, get the new directions, and start going the right way. Likewise, you cannot just tell God you are sorry and never change. True repentance always leads to going the right direction. Never forget that!
As you follow God this week, stay on His path. If you get off the path, follow the rerouting directions to get back on it. You will be glad you did. See you next week!
